Bonfire night, is it still happening in your area?

judeboy101 · 02-06-2017 10:42AM #1

As a kid I looked fwd to bonfire night, it meant summer was here. We would go on night raids to silage pits to steal tires and place guards on our stashes to stop rival bonfires stealing. My auld fella told me he isn't doing one this year due to no interest among kids in the home place. Is it a dying tradition?

biko · 02-06-2017 10:46AM

No, it doesn't really happen around here.

alchemist33 · 02-06-2017 10:50AM

I used to love it too, growing up in Sligo. But I haven't seen it happen anywhere else in the country and I don't think it's happening back home still either.

The_Valeyard · 02-06-2017 10:51AM

Never around my area

Is it more of a Protestant thing?

judeboy101 · 02-06-2017 10:55AM

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Never around my area

Is it more of a Protestant thing?

No, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John%27s_Eve

murpho999 · 02-06-2017 10:58AM

Never heard of this tradition.

Don't like bonfires anyhow. It's often a skangerfest.

Throwing tyres and mattresses etc on is just releasing poison in the air.

whisky_galore · 02-06-2017 11:00AM

Happens in Cork.

In the northside it's 'Burn your rubbish you can't be arsed bringing to the recycling centre Night'

It can be traced back to worship of the Celtic god, Lug, god of refuse and filth.

Markcheese · 02-06-2017 11:00AM

Still a big deal in Cork city... Don't know if it's a county thing though (wasn't where I grew up, just west of the city)

retalivity · 02-06-2017 11:01AM

Oiche Fheile Eoin still going strong in the donegal gaeltacht as well...

topper75 · 02-06-2017 11:08AM

Limerick and Clare not too gone on this Christian John fella.

More likely to offer up tyres and pallets to Baal PBUH on April 31/May1. Beal tine.

Mrs OBumble · 02-06-2017 11:46AM

biko wrote: »

No, it doesn't really happen around here.

Have you moved?

It happens in the poorer areas of Galway. Cat and mouse game between the kids and guards in the days leading up to it: kids collecting stuff, guards removing it.

I reckon it could be stopped in an instant if officialdom started calling them St John's night fires and saying that it's a religious thing to do.

seamus · 02-06-2017 11:47AM

You mean Halloween? That's not for a few months yet.

WesternZulu · 02-06-2017 11:49AM

Used to happen when I was younger in Mayo and it was always something to look forward to.

As far as I know it still happens, but unfortunately not to the same extent as before.

judeboy101 · 02-06-2017 11:57AM

seamus wrote: »

You mean Halloween? That's not for a few months yet.

No, bonfire night was always june where I grew up. Never heard of bonfires at Halloween til I moved to Dublin.

jmayo · 02-06-2017 12:16PM

Isn't St Johns on June 23rd.

I don't ever remember having a bonfire at halloween.
Or any of that other muck like trick or treat.

seamus · 02-06-2017 12:19PM

judeboy101 wrote: »

No, bonfire night was always june where I grew up. Never heard of bonfires at Halloween til I moved to Dublin.

Bonfire night was only ever something the Brits or the Nordies did when I was growing up.

Never heard of another bonfire night in Ireland except for Halloween.

Goes to show.

Mrs OBumble · 02-06-2017 12:29PM

Bonfire night in England and its former colonies was traditionally on 5 November, in celebration of the unsuccessful nature of Irishman, Mr Guy Fawkes', explosive plans. "Burning the guy" was popular where i grew up. This has tended to merge with Halloween in many places because the two are so close.

Ireland, for obvious reasons, doesn't see this as something to celebtate

harry Bailey esq · 02-06-2017 02:36PM

seamus wrote: »

You mean Halloween? That's not for a few months yet.

That's the only bonfire night where I grew up,I do know that limerick have one on 30th April but I didn't think it had spread across the country. Or maybe yer man is from the north,they have loads of bonfire nights up there.

rossie1977 · 02-06-2017 02:45PM

Still a big deal in west Roscommon. You might have up to a dozen big bonfires within a few miles on the night of June 23rd

Sofiztikated · 02-06-2017 02:51PM

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Bonfire night in England and its former colonies was traditionally on 5 November, in celebration of the unsuccessful nature of Irishman, Mr Guy Fawkes', explosive plans. "Burning the guy" was popular where i grew up. This has tended to merge with Halloween in many places because the two are so close.

Ireland, for obvious reasons, doesn't see this as something to celebtate

Guy Fawkes wasn't Irish.

seamus · 02-06-2017 02:57PM

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Guy Fawkes wasn't Irish.

Indeed, a popular misconception. He was Catholic and did conspire with some Irish-based rebels, but he was no more Irish than Oliver Cromwell.

He was posthumously canonised by many of the Irish Republicans who regarded their fight against the British as a fight of Catholics -v- Protestants as much as Irish -v- English. As a result people here in Ireland (and indeed in the UK) often mistake him as an Irish rebel who was executed by the British.

Sofiztikated · 02-06-2017 04:13PM

seamus wrote: »

Indeed, a popular misconception. He was Catholic and did conspire with some Irish-based rebels, but he was no more Irish than Oliver Cromwell.

He was posthumously canonised by many of the Irish Republicans who regarded their fight against the British as a fight of Catholics -v- Protestants as much as Irish -v- English. As a result people here in Ireland (and indeed in the UK) often mistake him as an Irish rebel who was executed by the British.

Spent a fair whack of time in Spain as well, like a typical Brit.

Time share villa in Marbs, bit of fighting, the usual.
I always associate bonfire night with the 12th July.

If you ignore the twaddle on flags and banners, and the stupid ****ing places they build them, they're impressive enough structures!

02-06-2017 10:30PM

In Mayo we always had bonfire night on June 23rd.

Down here in Kerry they never heard of it.

The Backwards Man · 02-06-2017 10:34PM

Not as big as it used to be up here, but there still are a fair few bonfires on the 23rd

Madagascan · 03-06-2017 02:03AM

We love our Bonfires up here in the North.
Where else could you dump all those old cookers etc to get burnt?

Persephone kindness · 03-06-2017 02:47AM

I shall be setting lots of things on fire. I do most nights. MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa

LordSutch · 17-06-2017 10:29AM

judeboy101 wrote: »

Bonfire night, is it still happening in your area?

Aren't you about five months too early?

Widdershins · 17-06-2017 03:03PM

I've never heard of June bonfires, only Halloween bonfires. They are still happening every year. I'm not sure if the community have a public bonfire but people have their own private bonfires with a few friends.

imme · 17-06-2017 05:55PM

murpho999 wrote: »

Never heard of this tradition.

Don't like bonfires anyhow. It's often a skangerfest.

Throwing tyres and mattresses etc on is just releasing poison in the air.

Never heard of this feast/event OP
Did you just make it all up and create that detailed wikip page😉

Never heard of it

Yes in urban areas bonfires can be an excuse for wasters/ delinquent kids to set fire to their own rubbish

They observe this tradition at times other than Halloween

I'm sure they've never heard of St Johns feast either 😣

Riddle101 · 17-06-2017 06:01PM

The only time we saw bonfires was on Halloween. But I haven't seen any bonfires in years in my area. The residents all kicked up a fuss years ago, and they seemed to have stopped now.

17-06-2017 06:10PM

Its on May eve here in Limerick. Was widespread throughout the city when I was younger when community spirit was alive and well. It disappeared over the last 10 or 15 years though but the rougher areas still have them.

Bonfire night, is it still happening in your area?

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